Paintjob
by Triever
Summary: Sarah needs some help moving out and for Sarah the goblins won't do. For Jareth, her good (male) friend is unacceptable. Very late night scribble. Maybe not written to its full potential but who cares, it's something.


Very (very) late night scribble. My apologies for possible bad grammar/not making sense in advance. u_u Hope you enjoy.

* * *

"I can't ask the goblins, Jareth. There are several walls to be painted, and I want to have them painted well. I wouldn't be surprised if the goblins end up painting everything but the walls." The woman looked at the way that Jareth scrunched up his nose and she sighed, turning from him to continue her packing. "You know what? Forget it. Forget the paint job and forget that I asked you. I should've known you didn't want to get your dainty little hands dirty."

Jareth grinned gleefully.

"And you know what?" She prattled on. "It might be for the best, really. You guys are the worst at earthly matters. Remember when I asked the goblins to rake the leaves in the backyard and one of them ended up with a serious eye injury and four others got sick eating the leaves? Or that time the phone rang and I asked you to turn on the washer? I still mourn for that dress that you ruined."

"Drama queen…" The Goblin King muttered darkly, crossing his arms. "That dress cost, what, twenty dollars? It was cheap – and bound to be rendered unwearable one way or another."

"Whatever, Jareth." She huffed as she closed up a cardboard box and put it on top of another, writing 'books' on the side. "I'll just ask Dennis to help me do it."

"Dennis?" Jareth bristled.

"Yes. Dennis. You've seen him, just now, actually. He's the tall dark haired guy that is helping my dad carry my stuff downstairs and putting it in the van."

As if on cue, the tall dark haired guy walked in. His tan skin was slightly covered in sweat, an eyebrow piercing gleaming in the light of the morning sun. He wore blue jeans and a black sleeveless shirt.

Jareth hated the guy. Not just because he did what he could to impress his Sarah… No wait, it was just because he tried to impress his Sarah.

"How's it going here, Sarah?" Dennis asked kindly, looking around the rather bare room.

The otherworldly king was invisible to others, as Sarah always demanded when Jareth visited. Only Sarah could see him.

"I think I'm done. I'm going to carry my paintings separately." She sighed, rubbing her face. It was currently a hundred and five degrees outside and probably the worst time of the year to be moving.

"You got everything together pretty quick. All of this should probably fit in the van, so we don't have to make any second trips."

"Did dad remember to get the sheets? I'll be painting some walls and I want to keep my stuff clean."

"He sure did. You'll have to keep those on your lap while we drive to your new place."

Her dad walked in, smiling sadly as he saw the empty room. "Well, we're almost there. I'll take these two boxes down and then you two can get going. I'll come and help after picking Toby up from his archery class." He picked up the last two boxes and walked back out again.

"Well… This is it." Sarah said softly, sighing. The only thing left in the room was her single bed and her desk. "It feels so weird to be leaving this place… I know I'll be coming here during holidays and such, but still, it's kind of sad."

Dennis chuckled. "I can remember when this place was littered with board games, books and plushies." He was silent for a second. "Actually, that was yesterday."

Sarah stiffened a little as she felt Dennis wrap his arms around her from behind and she could practically feel Jareth bristle. But Dennis's embrace was always such comfort to her and frankly, she didn't really care what Jareth thought of it. Not to mention that Dennis had pretty muscular arms, and even though Sarah didn't limit her preferences to gym fanatics she still liked them.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Oh, by the way… I could really use some help with the paint job… Do you maybe have time to back me up?" She asked as she turned to him, his arms falling back to his sides. "I'll treat you to beer, of course."

"Beer, I hear? I'm in." He chuckled, winking. "Go get your paintings; I'll go see if your old man finished packing."

"Fine." Jareth growled as soon as Dennis left, as if he could've heard him. "I'll help."

"Are you saying that just because it's Dennis helping me out?"

"Yes."

Well, at least he was honest.

Sarah collected her paintings, smiling secretly but quickly trying to school het features and keep her voice even. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, princess. Do you even have old clothing that is allowed to get dirty without having my paint bogged?" Seeing the horror on his face she rolled her eyes. "I'll ask my dad for some clothes. There won't be any room left in the van. You can either go with my dad or poof in there yourself, if you can find it. Either way, you'll have to introduce yourself to Robert and Dennis, and I propose you do so as a normal human. Today is a rather stressful day and I don't want to have to deal with them demanding an explanation. So, if you're still up for It, what do you want to do?"

"As often as I've been in this world by now, it is pretty much in this neighborhood only, apart from some random nursery rooms scattered around the globe. I think it would be best to ride with Robert… If he'll agree upon traveling with a stranger."

"You're not a stranger to me. He'll take it for granted that you won't cause any problems."

"Ah, so that trait comes from him…" He spoke so softly he probably didn't mean for her to hear it.

The woman narrowed her eyes and turned away from him. "I'll tell my dad a friend called that he'd be over to help. He's going to pick up Toby from archery class in roughly half an hour and should leave when he gets back. If you could show up in say, fifty minutes, in disguise, I'll make sure he'll pick you up. Try to be nice." With that she walked out the door, and he could hear her calling for her father.

Sarah walked out of her apartment, seeing her father's car pull up. Dennis picked up another box and walked back inside, either not recognizing the car or consciously choosing to keep unloading. Walking to the familiar rich blue Fiat she saw her father get out, talking to someone she assumed to be Jareth.

The smile she wore as she saw her father fell as she saw someone else step out. A tall and blonde, with angular features, like Jareth, but at the same time it was so… not Jareth. Gone was his wild mane of blonde unruly hair, replaced with a mix between a pompadour and a classic taper. He was dressed in a white v-neck t-shirt that obviously belonged to her father and worn jeans that must have been jeans her father had worn in his earlier years because she hoped she'd never have to see her father in such tight jeans. The black sneakers were obviously Jareth's touch. His arms and hands were bare, showing the lean but toned muscle under them.

As she came closer to the two she frowned slightly. The markings at his eyes were gone and his eyebrows were angled sharply but normally, not to mention that his eyes were now an even cold blue. Sure, they were still full of that alluring mystery and some sort of ancient knowledge, but it was different.

"… Jareth?" She felt stupid asking it, but she just wanted to be one hundred percent sure.

"Sarah."

That was definitely Jareth. She didn't know how he always managed to utter her name with that silky purr that made her feel so very self conscious – maybe even naked. What she did know, was that even in the R-rated movies she'd seen, a name was never cradled between two lips, or carried on the air, like that. And as if that wasn't strange enough; he only did, or could do, it with her name. Other names uttered from his lips, even Toby's, were indifferent or worse.

The grin appearing on his face slightly broke the toned down version of Jareth, allowing the wild, taunting Goblin King to seep through with a glimmer of sharp teeth.

"I see Dennis is already unloading. I'll go give him a hand. Sarah, you wanted to start painting, right? Why don't you go help her, son?" Robert proposed as he tapped Jareth's shoulder before walking to the van.

"Son?" Sarah demanded. "He never calls anyone 'son'. What's up with that?"

"We have been talking for quite a while during the way here; your father is quite an amusing man."

"I would never have thought you could get along with my dad… Are you sure you didn't threaten to bog him somewhere along the way?"

"I assumed you didn't want your father to find out about me on a fantastical level. Besides, the need didn't arise."

"You didn't lie to him, did you?"

"I do not lie, precious. You know this."

Sarah looked around at Jareth, whom was painting the opposite wall. Robert and Dennis were painting another room. Jareth had been hesitant to start, partly because he secretly dreaded to get covered in paint and partly because he wasn't entirely sure what to do and how to do it. But once he'd started he worked without complaint and worked pretty fast.

The room was almost done, which was a relief as it was the room that needed the most work. Stepping away from the finished wall she turned to Jareth, watching as he finished the last corner.

Secretly she was really glad Jareth had decided to help. She was aiming to get all the painting and such done by today so she could stay in the apartment for the night and furnish tomorrow.

Naturally, she wouldn't admit it straightforward.

She looked down at the few smudges of paint she had gained through painting and huffed at the knowledge that he was still squeaky clean. So with a wicked glint in her eye she decided to do something about that.

Dipping the brush into the paint she turned to him and quickly brushed it along his lowered arm. He had just lowered the brush, ready with his work and jerked with his arm, turning around. As soon as he saw her mischievous expression he growled and moved towards her, throwing up the brush and catching it at the handle again. Sarah held out the brush defensively and with a fast dodge he struck.

The woman looked down at the white streak across her chest, half of it on her skin, and gasped. Instantly retaliating she struck again, creating a white smudge on his cheek.

A few other lines, spots and smudges joined the others as the two turned playful. As Sarah backed away again, trying to dodge another strike her foot caught in the plastic on the floor and caused her to topple backwards. In surprise she grasped for anything in her reach, which happened to be Jareth, pulling him down with her.

"There is no need to get grabby, precious." He purred with a chuckle. He looked down at her hand that was still fisted in the shirt he was wearing. Looking back up at her he saw her blushing furiously. "Tell me, Sarah… What does this Dennis really mean to you?"

She rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I love Dennis." Sarah saw his eyes turn dark. "As a very good friend, as he is. I've known him for most of my life and in a way; he is as much of a brother to me as Toby is. So you can drop the whole jealousy act and -"

Her eyes widened as he suddenly leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Almost as fast it happened he pulled back and she spluttered slightly, not believing what he had just done. "Hm, not bad." She frowned and sharpened her tongue for a retort. But before she could speak he kissed her again, more chaste and more deliberate.

Sarah tried pushing him off but he didn't even budge. Digging her nails in his shoulders she flipped them over, breaking the kiss.

Of course, like in any cheesy movie this was the perfect moment for someone to walk in.

"Sarah, the kitchen is all done. What else needs to be -"

The woman looked up at guy walked in and she quickly scrambled off of Jareth, standing up and blushing furiously. When Jareth got up Dennis was speechless, but when the otherworldly king in disguise got up as well and rubbed a tiny splatter of paint off her cheek he moved.

Sarah saw a flash of Dennis fist before she registered Jareth stumbling back. After that everything went really fast. A few punches went back and forth; she called her father and jumped back as the two tumbled to the floor.

When her father walked in his eyebrows rose and he pulled Dennis, who was again moving his arm back for another punch, off of Jareth, pulling him to his feet.

"Dennis, what the hell?" She yelped, vaguely noticing the cut in his lip before she turned to Jareth. He was leaning on one elbow, holding his nose with a frown. She helped him up and could see a pretty serious amount of blood coming from his nose. "Come on, let's find some tissues or something. Dennis, I bought you guys some beer, it's in the fridge. Hold a bottle against your lip, it will reduce swelling."

Sarah rushed to the groceries she'd bought the day before. There were only the very basic things, so she could get through a day or two. So sadly, there were no tissues – but there was toilet paper. Grabbing a roll she took a few pieces and wiped away the blood from his nose, mouth and chin before taking another few pieces and handing them to him. "Are you okay?"

"I've had my fair share of fights in my days. True, most of them were sword fights, but I can take a few punches." He muttered as he leaned back, feeling his nose as if to check if it was broken.

"Dennis has some history fighting but that's just boxing as far as I know… He's never lashed out like this."

The Goblin King shrugged. "I'd get jealous too if I'd see someone getting straddled by a dark haired vixen." Her cheeks colored and she crossed her arms, watching as he removed the pieces of toilet paper and cracking his nose. The woman could see a tiny bit of glitter falling from his fingertips, which usually meant he used some sort of spell. He wiped his nose with a clean piece and took the piece from her, making them disappear with a flick of his wrist. "Let's get back to work."

Sarah wasn't entirely sure he was alright yet, but she followed him, moving all equipment to the hallway while Robert got ready to paint the bedroom.

"I didn't hurt you too bad, did I blondie?" Dennis bit out as he held a bucket of paint.

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I think happy thoughts – like my little pet straddling me just now. Your right needs some work by the way, you punch like a girl."

Sarah punched him in the arm, hissing at Jareth as he saw Dennis was just itching for another punch. "Behave, Jareth." She saw Dennis brush past him but Jareth didn't give him the satisfaction of budging.

"I swear to god, if you two keep bickering like this I'm sending one of you off. Seeing as Dennis has more knowledge of this kind of stuff I think you know who is more likely to, so I'd keep down if I were you. There's a lot on the agenda today and I want to get it done."

"He started it."

"I don't care who started it. Both of you threw punches."

Sarah stood in her kitchen, preparing four cups of noodles. Dennis and Jareth were still on bad terms but at least they didn't fight physically anymore. Her father and the two were drinking beer. It was roughly dinner time and the painting work was done. All her furniture was sorted and situated in their rooms so all she had to do tomorrow was arrange them.

Jareth was actually joining her father and Dennis for a drink – or a few. Due to his kingly nature she'd figured he was more of a wine drinker. Not that it mattered to her, he'd been of great help today.

As she brought the noodles to the balcony, where they were situated, she noticed that her father and her Dennis needed to take it easy as they needed to drive. Putting down the cups before them she sat down herself. "Watch it guys, you two still need to drive. What's the count at?"

"Two." Robert said with a shrug. "Or one and a half, really."

"Um…" Dennis looked down at the empty bottles on the side of his chair and looked at the one he was currently holding. "Four - and three sips. Oops."

Sarah grumbled as she started on her noodles. "Isn't the first time and it won't be the last. Dad, can you give him a ride? I don't want him driving the van drunk."

"Of course."

The next little while there was some rather pleasant small talk and a sense of earned rest. However, it was getting late and Robert wanted to head home as he had to get up early the following morning.

"Jareth, are you coming with us?"

"No sir, I'll get home fine by myself, I'll make sure the clothes are returned to you soon."

"Oh that's fine son, you can keep them should you ever need some old rags to wear." Robert stated as he patted him on the shoulder moving to his car. Dennis had ended up pretty wasted as he often did and made his swaying way to the car after saying goodbye.

"Well. That was a good day, wasn't it?" Sarah sighed as she waved her father and her friend off. "Thanks for your help." As she turned to him, the car from sight, she raised an eyebrow at his frown, walking back inside. Jareth followed but seemed a little… off. "Why the long face all of a sudden? Jareth?"

He shook his head, still frowning as he walked back inside with her. "I… have failed to think of this before but… I can't travel between worlds when there's alcohol in my blood."

"…You're kidding." The look he gave her said otherwise. "You've got to be kidding. Why? That doesn't make sense. Why didn't you think of that before?"

"I… don't know. Strange as it might sound, I was having a good time when it was offered and frankly – I felt so fit in that I forgot."

Any other moment Sarah would either have laughed at him or call bullshit, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Okay… How long will it take until you can get back?"

"Seeing the amount I've had, the specifics of the Fae and the factors of my body shape and such, I'd say six to seven hours with a risk of getting sick and eight to nine hours to be completely fine."

Sarah sighed and caught a flash of sheepishness and guilt before he looked away from her. "Well, you live and you learn. I'll go get some towels so you can have a shower. I need to stop by the nearby 24/7 to get some food and drinks and such. If it will do you can sleep on the couch tonight."

"That would be very much appreciated, thank you."

"Is there anything you'd like to have before… bed? Or for breakfast tomorrow?" Sarah asked as she fished out some bathroom items and towels from a box.

"I'll leave it up to your generosity. Like my subjects I'm more adaptable than you might think. I'm assuming a '24/7' is a shop?"

"Yeah, it's a small store that is usually open all day every day." She could see that boyish sort of wonder he got in his eyes more often when she mentioned typically earth-like beliefs, customs or concepts. It was something that was very hard to catch but if you knew what to look for it was a fun thing to see in a grown man. "If you want you can shower after and you can come with, it's not that far from here."

"I would like that."

"Well… Good night, Jareth." Sarah said awkwardly as she came back from brushing her teeth and turning off all the lights. She sat down on her mattress, a few feet away from the couch where Jareth was.

He'd stretched out, his feet sticking over the edge of the leather piece of furniture. He seemed quite fond of it even though it seemed impossible to get comfortable on a couch that was so short. But somehow he had managed to get comfortable. She'd given him a pillow and a blanket. Naturally, he wasn't wearing his full armor right now; instead he put on low slung pants… only low slung pants, much to Sarah's displeasure.

But neither felt like fussing. Freshly showered, tired after a long day of work and a little intoxicated, they both just wanted sleep.

"Sweet dreams, Sarah."

She turned her back to him as she lay down, not really comfortable with facing him. Sure, Jareth and Sarah had been a strange sort of friends for a few years now, but spending her first night in her new apartment with him still felt strange.

Even more so after that kiss of earlier today.

Blushing, she put her fingers up to her lips. He'd never made a bold move like that. Sure, he teased her a lot and infuriated her to the point where she could sometimes scratch his eyes out, but never an outright romantic move.

But was it a strange push of romance – or was he just pushing boundaries?

Behind her she could hear a very soft snore. Mentally she laughed. She hadn't expected for him to fall asleep that fast.

Doing her best to clear her mind she rubbed her cheek against her pillow and closed her eyes.

Sarah startled awake from the doorbell. Her heart raced and she found herself sitting upright. Jareth had startled as well, getting up as she looked at him. It was a little comical how disheveled his hair was right now.

She raked a hand through her hair and got up, putting on a robe and making her way to the door. Looking through the little lens she parted her lips, leaning back, then bit her lip. She opened the door and smiled at the two visitors. "Hey dad, hey Dennis."

"Hi princess, did we wake you?"

"Uh, yeah… It's okay though, I wanted to get a lot done today. What's up?"

"We just wanted to check up on you, see how you fared your first night in your new apartment. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah sure, although I can't wait to sleep on the fully constructed bed." She looked at her father and smiled a little. "You look really tired, dad. Did you have any coffee yet?"

"Not yet, no. I'll see if I can grab some on the way back."

Dennis cleared his throat then. "Well, uh… I forgot my keys on your kitchen table last night. I'm just going to grab them really quick."

Before Sarah could offer to get them he walked past her and of course, very conveniently, ran into Jareth – literally – as the Goblin King tried to sneak to the bathroom.

Sarah could see it going wrong from the way in which Dennis froze.

And sure enough, a moment later Jareth lay sprawled on the floor.


End file.
